diff --git a/arch/x86/include/asm/msr.h b/arch/x86/include/asm/msr.h
index cb33b5f00267..fe83d74a920d 100644
--- a/arch/x86/include/asm/msr.h
+++ b/arch/x86/include/asm/msr.h
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ do {                                                            \
 
 #endif	/* !CONFIG_PARAVIRT */
 
-#define checking_wrmsrl(msr, val) wrmsr_safe((msr), (u32)(val),		\
+#define wrmsrl_safe(msr, val) wrmsr_safe((msr), (u32)(val),		\
 					     (u32)((val) >> 32))
 
 #define write_tsc(val1, val2) wrmsr(MSR_IA32_TSC, (val1), (val2))
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/amd.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/amd.c
index c928eb26ada6..9d92e19039f0 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/amd.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/amd.c
@@ -621,7 +621,7 @@ static void __cpuinit init_amd(struct cpuinfo_x86 *c)
 
 		if (!rdmsrl_safe(0xc0011005, &val)) {
 			val |= 1ULL << 54;
-			checking_wrmsrl(0xc0011005, val);
+			wrmsrl_safe(0xc0011005, val);
 			rdmsrl(0xc0011005, val);
 			if (val & (1ULL << 54)) {
 				set_cpu_cap(c, X86_FEATURE_TOPOEXT);
@@ -712,7 +712,7 @@ static void __cpuinit init_amd(struct cpuinfo_x86 *c)
 		err = rdmsrl_safe(MSR_AMD64_MCx_MASK(4), &mask);
 		if (err == 0) {
 			mask |= (1 << 10);
-			checking_wrmsrl(MSR_AMD64_MCx_MASK(4), mask);
+			wrmsrl_safe(MSR_AMD64_MCx_MASK(4), mask);
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event.c
index e049d6da0183..4e3ba9cb5a4e 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event.c
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ static bool check_hw_exists(void)
 	 * that don't trap on the MSR access and always return 0s.
 	 */
 	val = 0xabcdUL;
-	ret = checking_wrmsrl(x86_pmu_event_addr(0), val);
+	ret = wrmsrl_safe(x86_pmu_event_addr(0), val);
 	ret |= rdmsrl_safe(x86_pmu_event_addr(0), &val_new);
 	if (ret || val != val_new)
 		goto msr_fail;
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_intel.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_intel.c
index 166546ec6aef..7789aa37c746 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_intel.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_intel.c
@@ -1003,11 +1003,11 @@ static void intel_pmu_reset(void)
 	printk("clearing PMU state on CPU#%d\n", smp_processor_id());
 
 	for (idx = 0; idx < x86_pmu.num_counters; idx++) {
-		checking_wrmsrl(x86_pmu_config_addr(idx), 0ull);
-		checking_wrmsrl(x86_pmu_event_addr(idx),  0ull);
+		wrmsrl_safe(x86_pmu_config_addr(idx), 0ull);
+		wrmsrl_safe(x86_pmu_event_addr(idx),  0ull);
 	}
 	for (idx = 0; idx < x86_pmu.num_counters_fixed; idx++)
-		checking_wrmsrl(MSR_ARCH_PERFMON_FIXED_CTR0 + idx, 0ull);
+		wrmsrl_safe(MSR_ARCH_PERFMON_FIXED_CTR0 + idx, 0ull);
 
 	if (ds)
 		ds->bts_index = ds->bts_buffer_base;
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_p4.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_p4.c
index 47124a73dd73..6c82e4037989 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_p4.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_p4.c
@@ -895,8 +895,8 @@ static void p4_pmu_disable_pebs(void)
 	 * So at moment let leave metrics turned on forever -- it's
 	 * ok for now but need to be revisited!
 	 *
-	 * (void)checking_wrmsrl(MSR_IA32_PEBS_ENABLE, (u64)0);
-	 * (void)checking_wrmsrl(MSR_P4_PEBS_MATRIX_VERT, (u64)0);
+	 * (void)wrmsrl_safe(MSR_IA32_PEBS_ENABLE, (u64)0);
+	 * (void)wrmsrl_safe(MSR_P4_PEBS_MATRIX_VERT, (u64)0);
 	 */
 }
 
@@ -909,7 +909,7 @@ static inline void p4_pmu_disable_event(struct perf_event *event)
 	 * state we need to clear P4_CCCR_OVF, otherwise interrupt get
 	 * asserted again and again
 	 */
-	(void)checking_wrmsrl(hwc->config_base,
+	(void)wrmsrl_safe(hwc->config_base,
 		(u64)(p4_config_unpack_cccr(hwc->config)) &
 			~P4_CCCR_ENABLE & ~P4_CCCR_OVF & ~P4_CCCR_RESERVED);
 }
@@ -943,8 +943,8 @@ static void p4_pmu_enable_pebs(u64 config)
 
 	bind = &p4_pebs_bind_map[idx];
 
-	(void)checking_wrmsrl(MSR_IA32_PEBS_ENABLE,	(u64)bind->metric_pebs);
-	(void)checking_wrmsrl(MSR_P4_PEBS_MATRIX_VERT,	(u64)bind->metric_vert);
+	(void)wrmsrl_safe(MSR_IA32_PEBS_ENABLE,	(u64)bind->metric_pebs);
+	(void)wrmsrl_safe(MSR_P4_PEBS_MATRIX_VERT,	(u64)bind->metric_vert);
 }
 
 static void p4_pmu_enable_event(struct perf_event *event)
@@ -978,8 +978,8 @@ static void p4_pmu_enable_event(struct perf_event *event)
 	 */
 	p4_pmu_enable_pebs(hwc->config);
 
-	(void)checking_wrmsrl(escr_addr, escr_conf);
-	(void)checking_wrmsrl(hwc->config_base,
+	(void)wrmsrl_safe(escr_addr, escr_conf);
+	(void)wrmsrl_safe(hwc->config_base,
 				(cccr & ~P4_CCCR_RESERVED) | P4_CCCR_ENABLE);
 }
 
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_p6.c b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_p6.c
index 32bcfc7dd230..e4dd0f7a0453 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_p6.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/cpu/perf_event_p6.c
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ p6_pmu_disable_event(struct perf_event *event)
 	if (cpuc->enabled)
 		val |= ARCH_PERFMON_EVENTSEL_ENABLE;
 
-	(void)checking_wrmsrl(hwc->config_base, val);
+	(void)wrmsrl_safe(hwc->config_base, val);
 }
 
 static void p6_pmu_enable_event(struct perf_event *event)
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ static void p6_pmu_enable_event(struct perf_event *event)
 	if (cpuc->enabled)
 		val |= ARCH_PERFMON_EVENTSEL_ENABLE;
 
-	(void)checking_wrmsrl(hwc->config_base, val);
+	(void)wrmsrl_safe(hwc->config_base, val);
 }
 
 PMU_FORMAT_ATTR(event,	"config:0-7"	);
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/process_64.c b/arch/x86/kernel/process_64.c
index 61cdf7fdf099..3e215ba68766 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/process_64.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/process_64.c
@@ -466,7 +466,7 @@ long do_arch_prctl(struct task_struct *task, int code, unsigned long addr)
 			task->thread.gs = addr;
 			if (doit) {
 				load_gs_index(0);
-				ret = checking_wrmsrl(MSR_KERNEL_GS_BASE, addr);
+				ret = wrmsrl_safe(MSR_KERNEL_GS_BASE, addr);
 			}
 		}
 		put_cpu();
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ long do_arch_prctl(struct task_struct *task, int code, unsigned long addr)
 				/* set the selector to 0 to not confuse
 				   __switch_to */
 				loadsegment(fs, 0);
-				ret = checking_wrmsrl(MSR_FS_BASE, addr);
+				ret = wrmsrl_safe(MSR_FS_BASE, addr);
 			}
 		}
 		put_cpu();
diff --git a/arch/x86/vdso/vdso32-setup.c b/arch/x86/vdso/vdso32-setup.c
index 66e6d9359826..0faad646f5fd 100644
--- a/arch/x86/vdso/vdso32-setup.c
+++ b/arch/x86/vdso/vdso32-setup.c
@@ -205,9 +205,9 @@ void syscall32_cpu_init(void)
 {
 	/* Load these always in case some future AMD CPU supports
 	   SYSENTER from compat mode too. */
-	checking_wrmsrl(MSR_IA32_SYSENTER_CS, (u64)__KERNEL_CS);
-	checking_wrmsrl(MSR_IA32_SYSENTER_ESP, 0ULL);
-	checking_wrmsrl(MSR_IA32_SYSENTER_EIP, (u64)ia32_sysenter_target);
+	wrmsrl_safe(MSR_IA32_SYSENTER_CS, (u64)__KERNEL_CS);
+	wrmsrl_safe(MSR_IA32_SYSENTER_ESP, 0ULL);
+	wrmsrl_safe(MSR_IA32_SYSENTER_EIP, (u64)ia32_sysenter_target);
 
 	wrmsrl(MSR_CSTAR, ia32_cstar_target);
 }